Chicago's standing as a significant 20th and 21st century art influencer can't be denied. And the world knows it.

This spring, the city is hosting a series of major exhibitions that call attention to Chicago-born and Chicago-connected artists whose work has fundamentally impacted the contemporary art scene: Nina Chanel Abney (February 10-May 6) and Keith Haring (March 3-September 23), both at the Chicago Cultural Center, and Kenneth Josephson (April 28-December 30), at the Museum of Contemporary Art.